CREATING A central marketing agency to boost export sales, expanding the production of fruit tree crops, transferring technology to improve crop production and lobbying the Government to remove the General Consumption Tax (GCT) forms part of the strategic focus for the agricultural sector in the new year.
With the initiation of the Caribbean Single Market (CSM) the Ministry of Agriculture is planning to merge the export and marketing divisions to boost export marketing and sales.
"We want to see how we can dovetail those agencies into what the JAS (Jamaica Agricultural Society) is doing and see how we can consolidate around putting together a comprehensive marketing arrangement for agriculture in the coming year," Agriculture Minister Roger Clarke said recently at a function to review the performance of the sector and outline the new programmes.
PRAEDIAL LARCENY
Mr. Clarke said the problem of praedial larceny is expected to be addressed with the issuing of some 100,000 receipt books to farmers across the island. Each farmer is expected to issue a receipt for all produce sold. He said the books were in the final stages of completion.
He said the Ministry will be spending some $200 million to develop and expand apiculture, sheep and goat production, organic agriculture, controlled crop production using greenhouse technology, cocoa, pimento, training for ornamental fish farmers and development of a computerised farmer registration system.
Another major focus of the Agriculture Ministry will be the resuscitation of the fruit tree crop programme. According to Mr. Clarke, "there are opportunities in terms of fruit tree crop production within the country (as well as for) condiments, spices, peppers." He said there will be an emphasis on expanding agricultural irrigation to ease the water shortage that normally occurs during certain periods, especially in the main vegetable growing areas of the island.
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
Albert Shand, executive director of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) which provides technical assistance and information to the island's farmers, said the Authority, with the assistance of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), will be concentrating on technology transfer to farmers in the expansion of the fruit tree crop programme. "The tree crop industry and other minor crops are poised for take off and coming into the new year we will have to have added drive and concentration," he said. Mr. Shand said $50 million has already been earmarked for this activity.
Senator Norman Grant, president of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), on the other hand, said his organisation will focus on rural development through the expansion of agriculture. Senator Grant, in outlining the JAS' plan for the new year, said he will intensify the campaign against GCT on agricultural products and
equipment and incentives for businesses which invest in agriculture.
